Congo’s president pays a visit to the site of deadly tanker explosion; 242 dead

Congo president to visit explosion site; 242 dead

KINSHASA, Congo — A government official says that Congo’s president is heading to the site of the massive tanker blast in eastern Congo that killed at least 242 people.

Marcellin Cishambo, a Congolese governor, says President Joseph Kabila already has visited some patients in the eastern province of South Kivu.

Kabila will visit the mass gravesite in Sange on Monday where more than 200 of the victims have been buried. Kabila also has declared a two-day national mourning period.

A tanker truck hauling fuel on a rural eastern Congo highway overturned Friday and exploded killing bystanders, including many who had been watching the World Cup in flimsy roadside shacks.

Congo’s health minister said Monday the death toll has now reached 242.